


Work Through The Pain

by SotheBalanceShifts



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-09 18:48:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3260561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SotheBalanceShifts/pseuds/SotheBalanceShifts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Artemis was really killed? After the death of his girlfriend, Wally West swore never to be friends with Dick Grayson aka Nightwing. Well, it just so happens Nightwing has a crush in said speedster. Only time will tell what happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How Can You Love Someone That Hurts You?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people of Achieve Of Our Own! I have come back with a new story. Okay, so I was re-watching all of the Young Justice episodes when this idea popped into my head and I decide why the hell not post it!
> 
> The Thing you need to know: The storm has a machine in it that created the storm. And Bats are really good at hacking stuff. Put two and two together to figure out the rest! 
> 
> ~Enjoy

“Goodbye, Artemis,” the mysterious figure said just as he stabbed the poor girl in the chest. Artemis gasped in pain and fell back. The figure smiled wickedly and left. 

Nightwing, who was just yards away, rushed forward to catch Artemis. 

“Dick,” Artemis gasped out. “Do me a favor.” 

“Anything,” Dick said to his long time friend whom he considered his big sister. 

“Tell baywatch that I know he loves you. And tell him that if he ever hurts you, I’ll come back from the dead to haunt him.” Artemis gasped out softly. Dick smiled. 

“You’ll be honored as a true hero, Arte,” Nightwing said as the blonde died without another word, just a slight nod of acknowledgement, the last movement that she ever made. 

The rest of the team arrived soon. One look at Nightwing’s blank face, and the lifeless body on the ground next to him, they knew that everything was not going to be okay. Not ever.

Solemnly, they lifted their dead teammate- no, family member- into their jet. Nightwing just sat there, staring at the lifeless body on the table. His mind was reeling from what just happened. His best friend- the one who hadn’t yelled at him for exploding the mountain- was murdered by some dumbass who thought that they could get away with it. Well, the joke was on him because Nightwing was going to hunt him down and make him pay. 

In no time, they had landed, but no one moved. Nightwing broke the silence by speaking, though his voice was shaky.

“One of us has to tell Green Arrow and Roy,” Nightwing said to his team, and thank the gods that only Alpha team was here. Nightwing would hate to look weak when the younger kids were there. 

“I’ll tell them,” M'gann said, his voice cracking, “But Nightwing, I think you should tell Wally.” 

Dick nodded and left, the jet becoming too stuffy for him. As soon as he stepped into the mountain, though, all the younger members rushed forward joyfully.  
“Where is Wally?” Nightwing asked in a short, cut tone. All for the younger members took a step back. 

“He’s in the main room, but what-” Robin started, only to be cut off by Nightwing. 

“Something happened. The others will tell you about it,” Nightwing answered, walking forward in short, programmed steps. Just before he entered the main room, he took a deep breath. 

“Wally,” Nightwing said ask he cautiously stepped into the room. Wally turned around and looked the younger man who stood in front of him. 

“Dick,” Wally replied in a curt tone. Was this seriously what they were reduced to? 

Dick took a deep breath, getting ready to be yelled at. “Someone killed Artemis.” 

Wally’s eyes widened. He rushed forward and grabbed Nightwing by the side of his shoulders roughly. 

“What?” Wally hissed in anger. Nightwing winched as Wally tightened his grip, making Nightwing feel smaller than he is. 

“Artemis was killed,” Nightwing whispered quietly. Wally’s nostrils flared. 

“What the hell, Dick?” Wally snarled, leaning in close. “And just where the fuck were you, Nightwing?” 

Dick bit his lip. Wally spit out his superhero name so violently and held so much disdain that it made Dick’s heart break into pieces. Wally hated him. 

“Where the hell were you when my girlfriend was being killed?” Wally hissed again. Dick took a deep breath and answered with a shaking voice. 

“I was fighting off some of Black Mantra’s men,” Dick replied. If possible, Wally increased his grip on the poor teen’s shoulders.

“Well, you have been paying attention to her instead of the goons,” Wally hissed, shoving Dick back forcefully and leaving the room. 

Dick bit his wobbly lip and raced to his room, not seeing his Alpha team standing in the doorway with their mouths hanging open. They couldn't believe what they just saw. 

Meanwhile, Nightwing ran into his room and shut the door, making sure to lock it. He sank down to the floor and rested his head onto his forearms. The poor bird began to sob silently, cursing his heart and himself for having a crush on Wally. After all, how can you love a person that could hit you whenever he’s angry?


	2. You Only Hurt The Ones You Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI AGAIN! I decided to update because I didn't want to lie around all day and feel sorry for myself for being sick! Also, I don't own young Justice. And please give me a heads up if you feel like I'm making this story go too fast. 
> 
> ~Dani

For the next five months, Wally refused to talk to Nightwing, who now cried himself to sleep every single night. Nightwing still lead the team, but he wouldn’t talk much except to give orders. 

Meanwhile, the Alpha team watched as their fearless leader, the fucking boy wonder, reduced to a hollow shell of his former self. Oh, and whenever Wally would grip Nightwing’s forearm to report about his mission whenever Dick sent him out into the field, Dick would winch slightly. However, no matter if Dick was a trained ninja or not, the Alpha team saw this very clearly for they had been on a team with Nightwing for years.

“Alright guys, I have intel that Black Mantra’s men are trying to steal some technology,” Nightwing said in a short, cut tone- just like the one he had been using for the past five months. All of the team was there, with Nightwing in front of them. 

“Are you sure about that, boy blunder?” Kid Flash asked. Everyone remained quiet as the former boy wonder looked at his past best friend. “What, you’re not going to answer me? Typical bat behavior.” 

All of a sudden, three bat-a-rangs were thrown, all aimed for Wally. One was from Robin, one from Batgirl, and one from Nightwing. 

“Yes, Kid Idiot, I’m sure about that,” Dick started. “But are you sure you want to insult the three people on the team who can kill you on the spot?” 

Batgirl and Robin smirked as all of the team took a step back for the three bat kids. 

“Now, does anyone else have any complaints?” Dick asked, a small smirk on his face. The team shook their heads. “Good. Now, Robin, Batgirl, Miss Martin, and Aqualad, I’m sending you in on this matter. Good luck, and I expect a mission report.” 

The four people on the mission nodded. Nightwing left for his room without another word. Kid Flash followed him. 

“Grayson,” Wally called out when they were halfway to Dick’s room. Nightwing stiffened instantly and started to walk faster. Kid Flash used his speed to catch up to his former best friend. 

"Why didn't you put me on the mission?" Kid Flash asked. Nightwing snorted. 

"It's a stealth mission. You wouldn't last a minute on it," Nightwing answered curtly and rushed toward the safety of his room. Kid Flash glared at Nightwing’s retreating back. He turned around and sulked back to his room, his stomach fluttering for some weird reason. 

~TIME SKIP~

“Report,” Nightwing answered as he saw Kaldur and Megan into his room. 

“There’s planning to make a machine to start a storm and knock out all life on Earth.” Megan answered. 

“Can you hack into it?” Dick asked curtly. Megan and and Kaldur nodded, confused. 

“I’ll take it out as soon as it starts,” Dick said in a small voice. He really didn’t want to die, but the person he loves clearly would like to see him dead than to be with him. Megan bit her lip and left, tears in her eyes. She hated to see one of her best friends reduced to this, absolutely hated it. She went right to Wally’s room to give the goddamned speedster a piece of her mind. 

Meanwhile Kaldur remained in Dick’s room. “You are not just doing this to save the world, you’re doing it to get away from Wally,” Kaldur stated, folding his arms and looking at the broken bird. Dick nodded and went to go grab his belt- which he had thrown carelessly onto the ground along with his gloves, mask, and boots. “Why?” 

“It’s the only way to make everyone happy. I close the storm by hacking into the machine in the middle so naturally, everyone’s happy no one gets hurt. But I have to get in close and even if the storm ends, there is a possibility that I could die. And if I do, Wally could celebrate cause the one person that he hates the most is going to be dead,” Dick answered with a quivering voice. Kaldur blinked once and set his hand on the former boy wonder’s shoulder. 

“Nightwing, I’m sure Wally won’t be happy with your death,” Aqualad said. Dick shook his head and laughed bitterly. 

“Kaldur, he looks at me with disdain. He only talks to me when it’s about a mission and whenever Artemis is mentioned, he glares daggers at me. Tell me, which part of that suggests that he doesn’t want me dead?” Nightwing asked, his voice still shaky and filled with hurt, which did not go unnoticed by Kaldur. 

Kaldur nodded. “If I cannot change your mind about this, then I wish you the best of luck, my old friend. I hope you make it back alive.” Nightwing nodded and Kaldur left the room. 

During this, Megan was scolding Wally. “Why the hell should I care?” Wally snorted. Megan growled. Dick was going to kill her for this, but she said it anyway. 

“Because he likes you, you bastard!” Megan hiss. Now, Miss Martin doesn't cuss usually, but when she is really pissed off, she could cuss worse than a sailor. Wally’s eyes went wide. 

“What?” He squeaked. His former best friend liked him, and he had been making him feel like shit the past few months. Oh god, what had he done?

Wally felt his world crash around him. He had to talk to Dick, now. “Where is he?” 

Megan glared at the speedster before answering curtly, “Training room.”

Wally rushed out of the room and to where he hopefully find Nightwing. And there he was, throwing bat-a-rangs at a practice dummy. Wally gulped and spoke up.

“Hey,” Wally said, biting his lip. Nightwing grunted in response. “So, um, Megan told me something-” 

“It’s not true anymore, West. Now leave me alone so I can train,” Nightwing snapped at Kid Flash. Wally winched, he supposed he deserved that. 

“But how do you stop having a crush on someone?” Wally asked. Dick stopped throwing bat-a-rangs and looked at him. 

“It’s quite easy when the person you like is a complete bastard to you, now, what did you tell me a few months ago? Ah, right- fuck off,” Dick snapped at him again just as his communicator buzzed. Nightwing picked it up and frowned at the message. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a storm to stop.” 

Wally looked at the retreating back of Nightwing, his heart feeling as if it was being squeezed. Meanwhile, Nightwing was close to tears. Wally played it so carelessly, as if he was some sort of toy for the speedster to play with. 

~TIME SKIP~

"Why the hell did you let Nightwing do his plan!?" Wally snarled, his face one of complete anger. 

"Like you'd care what happens to him," Robin snorted, obviously not wanting to talk to the guy who hurt his brother so much. "Besides, he told me it is the only way to make everyone happy. He closes the storm by hacking into the machine in the middle so naturally, we're happy no one gets hurt. Of course Nightwing has to get in close and even if the storm ends, he'll probably die so you can throw a party now, just don't expect me to come," the bird snarled. "You have no fucking idea how much you hurt him and now you can finally be happy 'cause there's only a slim chance he'll live. I hope you're finally happy, West, 'cause as sure hell I'm not."

Wally was out of the mountain and racing to the scene of the catastrophe about to happen before Robin could yell at him even more. He already lost Artemis, he can't lose Dick too. He just can't. And he was pretty sure that the felt something for the guy- something he hadn't even felt from Artemis. He hoped he had the guts to tell him- if Dick lived. No, Dick wasn't gonna die. He was going to live. 

As soon as he got there, the storm was gone. No, he was not too late- he can't be. The ginger spotted a black clad body, struggling to get up. Wally sighed with relief and raced over to the body. 

Dick smiled to himself. The storm was gone, but he was pretty sure he broke a rib or two and the poor bird was sore all over. "Dick," a familiar voice said as the person flipped him over and Nightwing felt himself being cradled within the person's arms. Said person was stroking his cheek gently. "Don't- don't ever scare me like that again."

Dick didn't reply, for he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. The teen coughed, blood dripping down his chin which worried the speedster currently holding him.

"Don't you dare die on me. Don't you dare. I already lost Artemis and sure as hell I'm not letting you die!" Wally said, wiping the blood away as he felt the team nearing. Dick's eyes fluttered half closed. "That's- that's a promise I can keep," the injured teen choked out. Come on guys, hurry up. 

"Don't please Dick, I can't lose you too!" Wally insisted, feeling he was close to crying when he saw Dick's eyes beginning to close completely. "Not- not a prom-ise I can keep," the teen mumbled tiredly, and in reality, he was tired. "Wally, I'm sorry," the teen whispered, his strength gone and his eyes just about closed. 

"No, don't you dare apologize! It's my fault. My fault Artemis died," Wally insisted. Dick shook his head weakly, almost numbly. "I'm sorry that I can't hold on any longer," the bird mumbled, his vision already darkness. "No," Wally mumbled as his crush's body went limp in his arms. No, Dick wasn't dead. Not dead... Just unconscious. The speedster picked up the fallen bird in his arms bridal style, watching in horror as Dick's head fell back as if he truly was- no, West, don't even think about it. But... What if Dick ended up like Jason? Wally couldn't handle that. Pulling Dick into his chest, Wally ran to base, passing the team. 

Young Justice watched as a blue and black blur whizzed by, heading towards base. "West found Nightwing," Robin muttered. "Back to base," the bird ordered, turning around and beginning to run in the direction of base, the other members following. Miss Martian, Superboy, and Kaldur ran the fastest as thus this was their leader but also their friend. One thing went unsaid between Dick's old team (Miss Martian, Superboy, Aqualad, and Zatanna) and they all agreed to it; they all blamed Wally for putting Artemis' death on Dick shoulders thus causing him to follow through with his crazy plan. 

If Nightwing ever did wake up, sure as hell they were going to make sure that Wallace Rudolph West didn't go anywhere near Nightwing.


	3. Stay Away From Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, It's about damn time I updated this. I have been slowly working on this on my free time- which is very little... Screw you math. This is the last chapter (FORGIVE ME) to this story, BUT there will be a epilogue which I will [hopefully] post a short while after this!
> 
> Enjoy and btw, get some tissues. You'll need them.

Dick groaned as he felt himself come to, his head throbbing. He slowly opened his eyes, groaning again as he tried to get accustomed to the blinding light. It took Nightwing a good few minutes to get used to the the light, however just as he did, a wave of pain hit him and Nightwing moan, waking the person next to him. Wally shot out of his seat as soon as he saw Nightwing sitting there, clutching his ribs.

"Hawk Women said not to touch your ribs until they heal," Wally said, sitting down and looking towards his old friend, his heart clenching at the look of pain on Nightwing's face. 

Dick looked over to the voice of the speedster, staring at him in shock. "What are you doing here?" He asked, letting his hand fall from his chest as he began to sit up. 

"What? I'm not aloud to talk to my best friend from time to time?" Wally asked him, pulling one of his small, sweet smiles. Dicke winched at the words 'best friend.' Wally hadn't talked to him in months and he left a bruise whenever he gripped his arm- unknowingly, hopefully. He gave Wally a broken half smile. 

"Not really that good of a friend if I let Artemis die," Dick mumbled, looking at a spot in the horizon over Wally's shoulder. Wally's eyes widened as he realized what Dick had meant. He put his hand on Dick knuckles.

"Hey, Dick look at me," Wally said softly. Dick sifted his head a little to the side. "It's not your fault. You just didn't get there in time." Dick stiffened at Wally's last sentence and took a deep breath. He hissed one word, "Out."

Wally's eyes widened and he looked at his best friend. He had sat here for-what? Three, four days?- nearly a week just to see if his best friend was okay and now he wants him to get out?   
"Excuse me?" Wally asked.

"You heard me, Wally. Get out, now," Dick said, pulling his hand away from Wally's as if it was made of fire. Wally scoffed at Dick and got up. Wally headed to the door. "You know, I was trying to be nice, Dick, but I guess you wouldn't know because you're too busy with your life where every single fucking thing is perfect. Well newsflash, boy blunder, things really aren't because I think Batman messed you up so much that you can't notice kindness," Wally snapped as he left, slamming the door behind him.

Dick bit his lip and fought back the tears. It that what Wally really thought of him? That he was fucked up? A tear fell down his cheek and ran down to his chin. Gods Dick, how stupid did you have to be to fall in love with your best friend.

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. "Who is it?" he asked, his voice slightly shaky. "It's me," came the soft reply. 

"Come in," Dick said, smiling as his best friend, Barbara Gordon- who was none other that Batgirl, came in. She sat next to his bed and picked up his hand, gently stroking his knuckles. They were so close that people assumed that they were dating, but Barbara didn't like Dick in that way and Dick wasn't even attracted to girls.

"I saw Wally storming out of here and I decided to see what happened. So, Dick, What happened?" Barbara asked. Dick sighed and put his head into his hands, fighting back tears. 

"He said that Bruce messed me up so bad that I couldn't see his 'kindness.' Barbara, he he tried to comfort me with Artemis's death by telling me I wasn't fast enough, and he even called me his 'best friend' when," Dick stopped to take a breath. "And he's left bruises on my arm," he whispered, hugging himself. Barbara gasped, and shot up, a bat-a-rang. Dick grabbed his best friend's arm. 

"Please don't," he begged. Nightwing didn't want Wally back in here trying to be kind when in fact, he was hurting him. Barbara gave him a small smile and sat back down, putting away her bat-a-rang.

~Le Time Skip~

Dick was back on his feet within a few days, however Wally hadn't talked to him ever since the incident in the Justice League Infirmary. As soon as he could walk though, Dick left for the safety of his cozy little apartment. 

Dick woke up to knocking on his door. He groaned and rolled over to the other side of his large bed, and picked up his phone. The bat frowned when he saw eleven pm flashing on the screen of the iPhone. He trudged out his warm bed and put on his simple blue slippers. Dick walked to the door in his long blue pajama bottoms and plain white t-shirt. He opened and his eyes became the size of a large pizza.

"Wally?' He squeaked, gripping the door for support. Wally was standing there in his brown jacket and gray sweatpants, a hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey Dick. Can I come in?" Wally asked. Dick blinked and was considering yelling at Wally, telling him he is tired of his mixed emotions and slamming the door on his face. But in the end, Dick just sighed and turned around, leaving the door ajar. 

Sure enough, Wally followed him to the living room. Dick sat down on one of his couches and Wally sat next to him, having put his jacket on Dick's coat rack.   
"So what brings you to my apartment at eleven at night?" Dick asked quietly, picking at his fingernails. Wally bit his lip. 

"Barbara talked to me," Wally started. Dick stiffened and began to get up when a hand on his forearm. "Please let me finish," Wally begged. Dick pursed his lips and sat back down, though he scooted away from the speedster, to Wally's displeasure. 

"Umm, remember when I asked you if you liked me, ya know from before you went and destroyed the storm?" Wally asked looked at Dick, who now had his arms wrapped around his long, slim legs. Dick nodded and Wally continued.

"So she talked to me and told me I was being stupid and IthinkIlikeyou," Wally said at super speed, but unfortunately, Dick understood every single work he said. Dick stiffened again and sucked in a breath. Wally just told him he liked him. Wally liked him. Wally liked him after all the hurtful words the speedster said to him, after all the bruises that had bloomed and disappeared because of the speedster's hard grip and yet, the speedster liked him. As in was romantically attracted to him. 

"Uh, Dick are you okay?" Wally asked, nervous about what was going to happen next. 

"Are fukcing kidding me, West?" Dick snarled. Wally's eyes widened at Dick's tone. "After all those hurtful words?! After calling me useless, slow, and- oh, let's not forget what you called me on my last trip to infermey! What was it again?Ah right- fucked up, you're telling me that you have a goddamn crush on me? Wally, for Hell's sake, you left bruises on my arm every fucking time you gripped my arm!"

Wally just sat there, holding his breath and watching Dick rant. His eyes widened when Dick told him that he had left bruises on Dick arm. He had physically hurt Dick, his best friend, his crush. Dick opened his mouth to speak, but Wally heard enough. He jumped up and wrapped his arms around Dick's waist, kissing the bat, hard. Dick's eyes widened and he froze. Wally's heart fell when Dick didn't kiss back. Just as Wally was about to pull away and apologize for kissing him, Dick unfroze and wrapped his dl arms around Wally's neck, pulling him down into the couch. 

"You bastard," Dick whispered when they broke away. Wally laughed softly and placed a hand on Nightwing's cheek. Dick gave Wally such a sweet, small smile that he felt guilty for not kissing the boy- well, man- sooner. "Why am I such an idiot?" Wally whispered to himself. 

"I guess we both were," Dick told him. Wally smiled at him and then he looked at the clock. He should get going and let sleep, Dick might have college lectures tomorrow.

"I should get going now," Wally said. "Wait," Dick began. "Stay with me?" 

"Don't you have lectures tomorrow morning?" Wally asked. Dick shook his head. "It's Sunday. I don't have any on Sunday," Dick explain. Wally laughed and picked up Nightwing bridal style and laid him down in his bed. Wally flopped down next to him, his shoes left at Dick's door. Wally wrapped his arms around Dick and smiled fondly as the shorter man snuggled into his chest. 

Nightwing fell asleep in a few mere minutes, making Wally wonder how much sleep the poor bird had been getting. Wally carted his hand through Nightwing hair gently. With a final kiss to Dick's head, Wally managed to fall asleep at around one in the morning. 

~Da Next Morning~

For once, Wally woke up earlier that the first boy wonder. He trailed a hand down Dick arm, wincing when he remembered that he had given the man bruises there. Wally sighed at his past actions. He was just the the same as his father, hurting the ones he loves most. 

Dick slowly opened his eyes and gave Wally a soft smile. "Morning beautiful," Wally whispered. Dick blushed and buried his face in the older man's chest. Wally laughed heartily at this, which probably made Dick blush even more. Dick mumbled something incoherent. 

"What was that, Dick?" Wally asked. Dick pulled his head out of Wally's chest.   
"I asked what time was it," Dick said. Wally looked at the clock next to Dick's bed. The numbers flashed ten o'clock. 

"About ten o'clock," Wally answered. Then he thought for a second. "Wait, how come you don't have lectures on Sunday?" Wally pondered. Dick looked at Wally like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"I'm going for an Architectural Design major and the course I'm taking doesn't have a lecture on Sunday, nor does the minor I'm taking with it." Dick answered. Just then, Dick's phone rang. Wally groaned and looked at it, the screen flashing the name 'Tim.' He handed it to Dick who sat up, letting the blanket pool around his waist and answered it. 

"Hey Tim, what's wrong?" Dick said. His smile fell and he dropped the phone on the bed in shock. Wally sat up too and picked up the phone and ended the call. "Babe," He said. "Babe, are you okay?" Wally asked again. Dick buried his head in Wally's chest and began to sob. Wally wrapped his arms around the crying bird. He kissed Dick's hair. 

"What happened?" Wally asked. "Barbara was shot," Dick sobbed out. Wally hugged Dick tighter and let the bird cry. Wally gently rubbed his back as his heart broke at the sound of the bird crying. Wally was shocked, to say the least. Batgirl- one of the most badass chicks he knew- was shot. 

Wally forced himself not to cry, for he still had to be strong for his new love. He tried to comfort the bird the best he could. Wally looked down to see that Dick had stopped crying and was just sniffling now. 

"Hey," Wally said, catching Dick's attention. "We need to get your mind off this. Come on and get dress. I'm taking you out."Dick's eyes widened. "Like right now?" He squeaked."Well, as soon as you get dressed." Wally said. Dick nodded and pulled Wally to the living room. "Stay here," he told the speedster.   
"Wasn't planning on leaving, babe," Wally said, making the son of Batman blush. Dick waved a hand over his shoulder and disappeared to his room, closing the door. 

Wally shook his hand and looked around the house. It was quite neat, which might have to do with the fact that Dick was a neat freak. Not a stain was on the floor or the robin (heh, pun) blue curtains or the beige couches. Nothing was out of order and there was no trash or clothes on the floor- unlike Wally's apartment, which was messy beyond the definition of messy.

"Okay, let's go," a voice said, making Wally whip his head to see Dick standing there, looking very... flattering to say the least. He was wearing some type of skinny jeans- which were hugging his thighs like his old Robin suit. Nightwing wore a Marvel shirt, the Avengers adding to the look and of course, Dick wore his signature sunglasses, completing the look. 

Nightwing just gave him a smile when he saw Wally's mouth drop open. He walked towards the large plastic box where he kept all of his shoes, closing Wally's mouth with his left hand. "You don't want to catch any flies now do you?" He said as he walked past him. Wally just stared at the man pulled out his black converse. How the hell had he not notice this person in the past few months? 

"So where are we going?" Dick asked once he had his shoes on. Wally gulped and answered. " I figured we could just wing it?" he asked. Dick laughed and threw on one of his Nike jackets. 

"Fine by me," he said, lacing his fingers with Wally's. Wally smiled and lead Dick out the door. Dick gave Wally a smile that he had reserved for someone special and Wally gave him a smile only Artemis used to see. Maybe it was time to move on from Artemis. After all, she did want these two to end together, though she didn't expect Dick to have to work through the pain of loving Wally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I never expected the ending to be so mushy-gushy, but there is still the epilogue, which should just be fluff. Key word: should. Anyway, I hoped you liked it! I honestly didn't know where the hell this story was going, but I decided to stick with it because of my beautiful fans that wanted me to. 8~8 Ugg, stupid Mother Nature and mood swings... -_-
> 
> SEE YOU IN THE EPILOGUE
> 
> ~Dani


	4. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I promised this and now I shall give it to you!
> 
> Enjoy! :3

Nightwing smiled to himself as he looked at his empty apartment. Everything he needed was packed- hopefully. He had taken a few pieces of furniture and had given the rest to Tim. Two strong arms wrapped around his waist, interrupting his thoughts. 

"Babe, stop worrying about it. I'm sure you have everything," Wally told the Bat. Dick smiled to himself. "I guess," He told his boyfriend for the past two years. Wally picked up Dick bridal style and carried him outside. "Hold on," He told the Bat. Dick wrapped his arms around the speedster's neck and curled into his boyfriend. Wally sped to his apartment in Central City. They arrived in record time- hence the reason Wally was the new Flash.

A lot of things had changed. Dick was now twenty-two and he had gotten his engineering major a few months ago. He had just gotten a job as a mechanical engineer. Wally had long since graduated and was working as a forensic specialist, taking after his uncle, expect he was on time mostly at work. However, the equilibrium to his speed was arriving late at home and on dates- Dick had mostly gotten used to it.

Wally opened the door and let his boyfriend down. Dick took a deep breath and looked around his new home. Everything looked in order. He nodded and looked at Wally.

"Not bad, West. Nothing's broken," Dick teased. Wally laughed and picked up Dick again and threw him down on the couch. Wally smiled as he landed on top Dick with his hands wrapped around the bird's waist. He looked down at the jet haired boy and gave him a nervous smile. If everything went according to plan, then he should be able to finally get a ring on Dick's finger soon.

~A Few Days Later~

Nightwing's mouth dropped open as Wally got down on one knee in the middle of their living room after their date. Wally had a nervous smile on his face as he asked the most important question of his life.

"Marry me Richard Grayson?" He asked, the ring in the black box glinting. Dick covered his mouth and just stared in shock. Then, after a few awkward seconds, he nodded. Wally looked at him in awe. "Yes," Nightwing squeaked after he nodded. Wally slipped the ring on Dick's finger and shot up, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him. Dick's arms encircled Wally's neck, kissing his fiancé. 

~Three Years Later~

Time: 11:00 pm

Nightwing woke up to his husband shaking him awake. He sat up on one arm and looked at him with his hair tangled and messy. "Bruce wants to talk with you," He said, handing him the phone. Dick grabbed the phone and put it up to his hair.

"What?" he grumbled. "I need you to patrol Gotham while I handle the Joker," Batman's gruff voice commanded. Dick sighed and told the Bat that he's on it. Dick shook his head when the line cut. He looked up at his husband. "Wanna help me patrol Gotham?" He asked, fluttering his eyelashes. Wally laughed nervously and shook his head no. Dick glared at him. "Fine, if I die, it's your own fault," Dick said nonchalantly as he got out of bed and got into his Nightwing costume. Wally was already in his Flash costume.

Dick smiled and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around Wally's neck. Nightwing kissed him passionately and pulled away a few seconds later. "Have fun patrolling Central City, Flash," He said as he pulled Wally's cowl over his head. Wally winked at him and rushed out of their apartment in a- well- flash. Dick smiled to himself and pushed his mask into place.

Time: 12:00 (A/N: Kudos to whoever can figure out where I got this scene from!) 

Nightwing's eyes widened as he saw a small kid wielding a sword about to kill a giant man with brass knuckles. He shot his grappling hook and quickly swung to stop the kid. He grabbed the kid sword as he knocked the kid over.  
"The psychos just keep getting younger," He said, shaking his head. The kid screamed in anger and charged at him.

Dick wiped his bloody nose after he had tied up the brat. He lean against the wall and called Bruce. "Talk," came the voice of none other than Batman. "Missing something?" Dick asked teasingly. "I'm not in the mood," came the reply. Typical. Batman the killjoy.

"I got a kid here. Says he's your son," Dick told him and looked at the kid who was glaring daggers at him. He heard Bruce sigh and then he answered, "I'll be right there."

~At the batcave~

"It really ticks me off after the hell he gave me about using protection," Dick told Alfred as the family friend was stitching him up. "Indeed," the butler answered as Dick winched. "Are you alright, Master Richard?" Alfred asked, looking up from his work. Dick smiled at the family friend. "I took the cut, I can take the stitch," He told Alfred.

"Maybe you need more anesthetic," Damian said as he was watching the scene. Dick glared up at the young boy. "And maybe you need to go fu-" Dick began.

"Whoa babe," a voice said from the top of the stair. "What's got you so ticked off?" Nightwing smiled as he saw his husband standing at the top of the stairs in his Flash suit. He climbed down and bit his lip when he saw Alfred bandaging his husband.

"Maybe you need to remember who the blood son is," Damian said from his place on the railing, unfazed by the entrance of the Flash. Dick pursed his lips together and glared at the kid, who looked almost exactly like Bruce. "Bloodthirsty is more like it," He said in a dead serious tone. Then he broke eye contact with the kid and looked towards his husband, smiling softly in his direction.

"This was yours?" Damian's voice asked. Wally looked over to see the Bat's son standing by Dick's original costume- the one he wore before the classic red and black one he had when he was on Young Justice. He then looked back at the jet haired man, who was glaring at the boy. "Still is," he answered shortly.

Wally watched his husband rush over the the case and closed it, saying, "Hands off." Damian looked at him unimpressed. "Is this what you wore during training?" He asked. Dick pursed his lips together tightly. "It’s what I wore during patrol," He gritted out. 

"The only thing it's missing is lace trim and a sunhat," the boy said snobbishly, with a painful smile which was almost mocking the speedster's husband. Wally used his speed to rush over and stand next to Nightwing. He crossed his arms at glared at the boy. "Kid, I wouldn't be talking. I mean have you seen yourself? Wearing a metal belt will get you detected in a seconds notice here in the real world. And you call yourself Batman's son." Wally defended. The kid had the nerve to snort.

"Is this honestly the best you can do?" He asked Dick. Wally looked at the kid with a murderous look. "Considering you don't have a lover, you shouldn't be talking," Dick shot back. The kid snorted again and looked at the Robin costume. Dick opened his mouth to say something but Bruce walked into the room just then and sat in the chair calling up commissioner Gordon. 

"I know what you're thinking," Dick started, crossing his arms. "You're thinking that you can be Robin, but with your short fuse and attitude, you can't. 

"I don't need some flamboyant suit and an insipid bird name to kick ass. My skills are way beyond your simplistic trains, as you saw tonight.," Damian said cockily. Dick snorted and turned around, gently grabbing Wally's bicep. Before he began walking, he turned his head to say something to Damian, "Don't forget who won that fight."

Wally put a hand around his husband's waist and bit his lip to keep from laughing. Dick noticed this and gently hit Wally's chest. "Thanks for standing up for me back there," Dick whispered in Wally's ear, straining to reach it as the speedster was a head taller than him. Wally just smiled and kissed the top of Nightwing's head. They walked over the the chair that Alfred was stitching up Dick earlier. He pulled on the top half of his suit, winching from his wounds. Wally looked at him sadly.

He walked over and placed his hands on Dick's hips once he had his top half on. Dick placed his hands on Wally chest and leaned into his embrace. "I shouldn't have left you to patrol alone," Wally whispered, his hands now wrapping around Nightwing. Dick smiled at up at him. "Wally, it's just a few cuts, nothing else. Not like he could hurt me severely anyway," Dick snorted, then he wrapped his hands around Wally's neck and brought the speedster down for a kiss.

Damian snorted to himself as he took as quick glance over at Nightwing and the Flash. Any affection in general disgusted the boy. Assassins didn't have time for lovers, they only had time to kill their enemies. That's what his grandfather taught him. The fact that you could love someone that much as to stay with them for the rest of their lives perplexed him.

"He deserves to die," He told his father after he cut the conversation with Gordon. Batman stood up abruptly, pushing his chair roughly. It stopped at the end of it's line and nearly startled the young couple making out. "Oh oh," Dick whispered to the speedster holding him. 

"Do you know what you were tonight?" Bruce asked. Dick bit his lip, feeling slightly bad for the kid. He had the same lecture from Bruce after he was nearly killed by the Joker the first time. "You weren't a warrior. You weren't a soldier. You were a child."  
Damian snarled and pointed at Dick. "If it hadn't for him I would have-" Damian snarled, but was interrupted by Bruce. 

"If it hadn't been for Dick, you would've gone too far," he scolded. Damian frowned. Dick walked over after he and Bruce had shared a look after Bruce's whole spiel. Dick narrowed his eyes at the bat after he realized what he was going to do.

Nightwing swiftly left, his husband following behind him. Just before Dick got to the top of the stairs though, he turned around and looked Batman dead in the eye.

"Don't let him die like Jason," He said in a cut and hurt tone. Bruce pursed his lips and nodded once at the bird, then turned to his son. Damian looked at his father and the retreating forms of the celebrity couple.(A/N: Fan girls made them popular and the media needs something to write about!)

"Who-" He began but Batman cut him off. "Someone important," Was all he said.

~At Wally's and Dick's Apartment~

"I really don't like that kid," Wally said as they were dressing out of their costumes. Dick laughed. "Me neither. He reminds me too much of Bruce, but with Jason's personality and cockiness," Dick told his husband as he slipped on his pajama pants and one of Wally's old shirts. He flopped down on the bed and groaned as his wounds and stitches stretched. Wally smiled at him, laying down next to Dick and pulling the blanket over them.

Wally wrapped his hands around Dick's waist and Nightwing placed his arms in front of Wally's chest, smiling up at said speedster. Wally smiled down at him. Both of them felt content and happy and nothing- not even a bratty, ten year old assassin- and they intended to stay that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's officially the end of Work Though The Pain... 8~8 I hoped you enjoyed the story!
> 
> ~Dani


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